ORLANDO, Fla. — Port Canaveral has a new, very large resident.

The world’s second-largest cruise ship — Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas — arrived Thursday morning.

What You Need To Know

  • The world's second-largest cruise ship  — Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas — arrived in Port Canaveral Thursday

  • According to the Cruise Lines International Association's 2023 State of the Industry report, Port Canaveral second busiest U.S. port for cruises, and third in the world, in 2022

  • The Disney cruise ship Treasure is coming to Port Canaveral at the end of 2024, and Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas is expected to arrive in 2025

According to the Cruise Lines International Association's 2023 State of the Industry report, Port Canaveral was the second-busiest U.S. port for cruises, and third in the world, in 2022. 

Only PortMiami and Barcelona Cruise Port in Barcelona, Spain, were busier, the report says.

Travel agents and port officials say the demand is strong enough to close the gap.

According to Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral trailed Miami by about 400,000 passengers in 2023 — which would be down significantly from the approximate 800,000 difference for 2022 noted in the CLIA 2023 report.

But, when it comes to what industry has been thriving lately in Central Florida, people have to look no further than in the waters.

Tabbitha Stewart, CEO of Premium Travel Concierge, says bookings for cruises in the past year have nearly doubled out of Port Canaveral.

She said a big factor in that is the port's affordability.

“Three- to four-day cruise, you are looking at $200-300 per person,” Stewart said. “Then, a seven-day cruise is about $700 per person.”

“Most of my clients, even outside of Florida are coming to Orlando,” Stewart added. “That’s our No. 1 destination, and there are people asking would we be able to do Disney and a three- or four-day cruise out of Port Canaveral?”

Aside from the now Utopia of the Seas in the port, the Celebrity cruise ship Equinox will be in port come December.

The port doesn’t look to stop there.

The Disney cruise ship Treasure will be arriving at the end of the year, and next year the Star of the Seas, a second Icon Class ship from Royal Caribbean will also be in.

Between new ships and added parking lots that altogether can hold up to 100,000 cars at one time, Murray says Port Canaveral is not just a seasonal port, but a year-round one.

Murray also said 2024 is on pace for a record year for travel at Port Canaveral.

In 2023, which was a record year for Port Canaveral, 6.8 million passengers arrived. This year the port is on pace for 7.5 million, and in 2025 they are projecting another new record of more than 8 million passengers.